Context

Chinua Achebe is one of the most admired African novelists who write in English. His novels trace Africa's transition from traditional to modern ways. He writes with a mission, and he believes that any good work of art should have a purpose - an idea that stems from the oral tradition of storytelling in Africa. He is interested in speech and his novels present a wide range of language, from the English spoken by the Ibo to different levels of formalformal: 'Official' or 'standard' English, as opposed to spoken, colloquial or dialect English; stiffly polite. Can also mean 'to do with form'. English. He also writes poetry and essays.

He married in 1961 and has four children.

He became an honorary professor at the University of Nigeria in 1985.